EXAM1 Flashcards
(19 cards)
a system
A system is comprised of interacting components differentiated from their environment.
What are the basic components of a system?
A boundary
Interaction with the environment.
Parts.
Interactions between parts.
Why do mental models need to be communicated by languages?
Mental models cannot be communicated directly between individuals;
the cognitive structures are strictly internal to the brain;
No direct perception of them by another individual is possible, at least not today.
a formal language
A set of symbols + rules for their combination.
What are production rules in the context of formal languages?
The production rules describe the syntax of an object language by showing how all valid wff’s of this language can be constructed.
What kinds of symbols do we distinguish in formal languages?
Terminal: cannot be further simplified ;
non-terminal: produced by application of production rules, can be simplified by applying production rules
What is the difference between a terminal and a non-terminal symbol in a formal
language?
Terminal: cannot be further simplified ;
non-terminal: produced by application of production rules, can be simplified by applying production rules
DATA
Facts about reality expressed using signs of a formal language
INFORMATION
Data that can be used for constructing mental models.
INFORMATION SYSTEM
A system with a primary goal to provide information about something. A set of processes, executed on raw data, for the specific objective of collecting, storing, analyzing and presenting information which will be useful in decision-making.
Are all information system computerized? If not give an example of a non-computerized information system.
No. Filing system in the libraries.
CONSISTENT DATA
No contradictions with itself.
CORRECT DATA
Data stored in an information system generally must be correct to be useful. No contradictions with reality.
What are the differences between checking consistency and checking correctness in the context of an information system?
Because consistency is a condition internal to a system, it can often be automatically checked by the system. Checking correctness, however, requires operations external to the information system.
spatial information system
An information system that uses spatially referenced data, as well as non-spatial data, and includes operations which support the production of spatial information.
a geographic information system
An information system that uses geographically referenced data, as well as non-spatial data, and includes operations which support spatial analysis.
What are the three important aspects of spatial information?
What: kinds of spatial-temporal phenomena
Where: Spatial Location
When: Temporal Location
What kinds of geographic phenomena do we distinguish? Give three examples for each kind
Entities: Geographic Phenomena with ‘nice’ boundaries: Houses, rivers, Roads …
Fields: Continuously distributed Phenomena, do not Have (clear) boundaries: Temperature, elevation, Soil-pH …
What is Sinton’s scheme of geographic information processing?
One cannot get to obtain full resolution in space (where), time (when) and attribute (what) simultaneously.
Some components must be sacrificed as less important. These components serve as “control” for obtaining the measurement of the more important component.
In Sinton’s scheme, one is fixed, one is controlled, and the other is measured.
